Ok, major rewind to last week. On September 10, my good friend Siobhan came to see me. She was visiting family in Europe and came to see me via Dublin, Ireland, where she has family. She stayed with me at my family's place and boy, did we have A LOT of FUN. Our catchphrase for her entire visit was "IN AUSTRIA." For example, we ate ice cream and hung out in Schwedenplatz. One of us would say, "So here we are enjoying ice cream and enjoying the nice warm weather. . ." and we would turn to each other and say at the same time, "IN AUSTRIA!!" Corny, I know, but it's not everyday you get to hang out with one of your closest friends in a foreign country. :)
Day 1: She came directly from the airport to the U.N. to meet up with me. My Tita Ruth was going to be there too, so Siobhan was able to drop off her luggage in the car. With the help of my awesome officemate Ritu, we were able to get Siobhan past security and get her the private visitor pass. This gives Siobhan ultimate access to the U.N. In other words, where ever I'm able to go, she can come to. She was able to have lunch with me at the cafeteria. She met up with my Tita and they came with me to my office, where we left her luggage and got them. After work, I met up with Siobhan and walked around the city, visiting places like Museumquartier and the University of Wien. We met up at Stephansplatz, but Siobhan got lost for awhile. Poor girl! Luckily, she found her way and we looked at shops and hung out for awhile.
Day 2: I went to work and Robbie took Siobhan around to the different tourist spots for awhile such as Schobrunn. I met up with Siobhan after work and we went to see the treasures of King Tutanchaman a.k.a. King Tut. The exhibit was in both German and English so lucky us we got to do that. Afterwards, I realized that we were in Hofburg Imperial Palace and took fun pics there and more around Museumquartier. Afterwards, Siobhan and I went to the TexMex place, Pancho, that Raffy and I discovered and enjoyed Mexican food IN AUSTRIA. :) Our sweet tooth led us to Schwedenplatz, where we had ice cream. Yum!
Day 3: After work, Siobhan and I wanted to check out the Natural museum but because I had to help with last minute touches to the IAEA Bulletin,we didn't have much time to look around. So starts the hunt for a flower shop for Tita Ruth in Mariahilfer Strasse. Along the way, we stopped at a few stores and places. We eventually found ourselves at Westbahnhoff station, where we found a flower shop (Yay!) and then decided to have kebabs to eat. Wanting to show the Strandbar Hermann to Siobhan, we had a nice walk by the Danube and saw interesting stuff, like a swimming pool on the river. :) We found the bar and enjoyed sangrias, music while chilling on the beach chairs on the strandbar. Cheers!
Day 4: Although the very next day was so beautiful and perfect, chaos ensued as we all prepared for Maxi and Janna's wedding that day. Maxi is Robbie's best friend and so, he was frazzled and stressed as we were preparing for the wedding. The ceremony and both receptions were in Klosterneuburg. The mass was in a very cute church, though very small. Siobhan, Tita Ruth and Uncle Roland were lucky to sit down. Thankfully, the wedding ceremony was not that long. Of course I didn't understand much because it was all in German. Afterwards, we all went for the first reception at the Stift Klosterneuburg. It is an old monastery that is also a nice museum. We took so many pics and have nice wine and champagne with rose petals in it. From there, we went to what the boys call a "hut" which is basically a very nice cottage practically in the middle of the woods. Tita and I caught a ride with some other guests who decided to park closer while Uncle Roland, always the mountaineer, and Siobhan decided to trek the whole way to the hut. Siobhan, Tita Ruth, Uncle Roland and I brought extra clothes so we can change when it got cold. The food was awesome. Janna's dad made his famous paella, which has chicken and seafood. There were several activities going on like painting a picture for the couple, Irish folk music, etc. The boys and their friends created a newspaper about the couple in which they sold to the crowd for 10 Euros and the money went to the couple. There was a nice flower dance where the family and the closest friends presented either Janna or Maxi a rose and danced with them. Raffy and Andy totally made us laugh with their dance styles. At one point the couple lit this mini hot air balloon and let it go but it got stuck in the tree. Thankfully nothing was burnt but it got stuck and then died out. The wedding cake was so nice and the dessert was so good. Nils, one of Raffy and Robbie's childhood friends, created the desserts. By the end of the night, Siobhan, Tita Ruth, Uncle Roland and I made the long trek back to the car, using torches (a.k.a. flashlights) through the woods. The moon was shining bright and it was really peaceful. Overall, it was a really fun night!
Day 5: The day was dreary and wet. I guess the weather was sad that Siobhan was leaving for Germany that day. Uncle Roland decided to take Siobhan and me around Klosterneuburg and outside. We saw some ruins and nice views of Vienna, despite the weather. It rained off and on as we toured the place. We had a great tour guide too. My Uncle Roland really knows his history and he loved it when we asked questions about certain things. Uncle Roland and Tita Ruth decided to go to an exhibit about Vikings after we had lunch and so Robbie and I took Siobhan to Westbahnhoff. Seaslugs having fun IN AUSTRIA!!!
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1 comment:
thanks for the moving pictures =) sounds and LOOKS like you had a great time!
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